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BMW to bring back four-cylinder engines for U.S. market

January 28, 2011 | 2:17
pm

Gas prices are rising, federal fuel economy standards are getting stricter and BMW is bringing four-cylinder engines back to the U.S.

The German automaker hasn’t said which models will feature the new fours, the first it has sold in America since 1999. It also didn’t say what the expected mileage would be. But the company was willing Friday to talk about performance.

BMW said the new 2.0-liter engine will be turbocharged and have high-pressure direct injection. The engine will produce 240 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft of torque, making it more powerful than BMW’s normally aspirated 3.0-liter inline six.